Tukwila, WA — The pace of demand, innovation and opportunity in optical communications is accelerating, underscored by dramatic initiatives such as the Google Fiber project in Austin, TX, and the success of optical technologies companies throughout Texas. That’s why Lightwave, for 30 years the premier source of information on optical technology development and applications, has scheduled the Lightwave Optical Innovation Summit to launch in Austin, July 14-16, 2014.

The Lightwave Optical Innovation Summit will bring together thought leaders from the service provider, major end user, technology development, academic and market analysis realms for a concentrated, in-depth exchange of views that will highlight the critical innovations necessary to meet the near-term challenges in optical networking.

The Summit includes an exposition and a conference with a two-track agenda: one aimed at innovation in the Carrier space, the other at innovation in the Enterprise/Data Center. Lightwave partner Light Brigade will provide two workshops to kick off the event, one for each of the two tracks. The first, “Fiber Technologies for Data Center and Enterprise Networks,” follows the historical transition from legacy technology into the future, where 100-Gigabit speeds are quickly becoming reality. Light Brigade’s second workshop, “Understanding the Emerging Technologies in Carrier Networks,” explores how next generation systems deliver lower latency alongside greater reliability, flexibility, and scalability.

“What will be unique about the Lightwave Optical Innovation Summit is that we’ll present direct discussions between the people who use optical communication technology and the people who create it,” said Hardy. “Our Conference Committee has gathered a wide range of speakers from all corners of the community, including local experts such as Akbar Kara, chief technologist of the Lonestar Education and Research Network.”

Hardy has a long history driving the optical technology discussion forward. According to conference director and Lightwave Group Publisher Ernesto Burden, the Lightwave Optical Innovation Summit answers the questions that Hardy's day-to-day analysis of the industry revealed to be most pressing.

For session details and to register for the Lightwave Optical Innovation Summit, visit: lightwavesummit.com.

About Light Brigade

Since its founding in 1987, Light Brigade has instructed more than 45,000 attendees worldwide in its public and custom classes on fiber optic design, maintenance and testing, including advanced topics such as FTTx, DWDM and PMD/CD. In addition to creating custom courses tailored to any need or skill level, the company produces educational DVDs, CDs and online courses that provide focus on specific fiber-related topics. For more information about Light Brigade, visit www.lightbrigade.com.